Refrigerator-car.



A. G. BROWN..

REFRIGERATOR OAR.

APPLICATION FILED um. 21. 19 09.

Patented Jan. 24,1911.

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CIT'IIISIIIJT' 17 1 A. G. BROWN. REFRIGERATOR GAB. APPLIUATIOH FILED PT. 21, 1900.

Patented Jan. 24, 1911.

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' for ice refrigeration, the structure I UNITED s'ra'rns PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED o. BROWN, or WINONA, MINNESOTA, nssmnon 1 0 Union FIBRE COMPANY,

OF WINONA, MINNESOTA, A

CORPORATION OF MINNESOTA.

REFRIGERATOR-CAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 24,1911.

Application filed September 27, 1909. Serial No, 519,754.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED G. BROWN, of Vinona, in the county of \Vinona and State of Minnesota, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Refrigerator- Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description 01 the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to refrigerator cars, particularly ca rs oi that class which are designed for handling perishable goods of various kinds, in some instances requiring the use of ice for purposes of refrigeration and in other instances requiring a full and free ventilation for the preservation of goods.

The objects of the invention are to pro vide a structure with which either a full or tree ventilation may be secured without permitting access to the interior of the tar either by unauthorized persons or by 'ainwater or with which the car may be closed being such that when used under ventilating conditions the ice bunker or receptacle may be folded completely out of the way so as to provide an increased cargo space.

A further object of the invention is to so arrange the ice bunker and-interior construction of the car that an effective circulation of the air is insured within the cargo space when the car is traveling either under ice or with ventilation from the cxtcrior.

Referring to the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through one end of a car ei'nbodying the present improvements.- .Fig. l is a transverse section in a vertical plane in front oi the ice bunker and with a portion of the front wallof said bunker broken away. Fig. 3 is a section in a horizontal plane taken through the lower partojlf the front wall of the ice bunker. Fig. 4 is a detail of one of the retainers for the front wall of the bunker.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.

The flooring, walls and roof of the car are of ordinary construction and indicated generally by the letter 1s arranged at one end of the car or, 1f two bunkers are employed one is located at each.

A; The ice bunker l i I l l l l anay be To support the end of the car. The bunker is made to fold or collapse with its front wall parallel to and in proximity to the end wall of the car itself.

In the preferred construction the front wall B of the bunker is made solid, that is to say iinperforate except for tightly closing which access to a 'central door or trap B through the interior of the bunker had from the cargo space. This front wall B terminates at the bottom a short distance above the floor of the car and is preferably provided with end posts C- having rollers c at the lower end and a central roller c on which the wall may be moved bodily toward and from the end wall of the car. Filling pieces D may be introduced between the end posts C and side walls of the car and, as a matter of convenience, the said posts C may be 0.1? channel iron on packing strips 1) of doubled canvas or suitable flexible material niay be secured to the channel irons and project into contact with the side walls of the car to close the spaces between the sides of the bunker front and side walls of the car.

Lateral stability of the front wall of the bunker is secured by diagonal braces E and the said wall is maintained in its vertical. position parallel with the end walls of the car by a plurality of jointed links l piv otally connected at one end with the front 'all and at the ()jlPUSlt'U end with the end wall oi? the car. The joints between the sections oi the links may be conveniently connected by a vertical strip or bar G whereby all ol said links will be folded or deflected u nvardly as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. l and at the same time the said strip or bar G at its lower end adapted to come in contact with the floor oi the car so as to limit the downward movement of the proximate ends of the links when the front wall of the bunker is in its extended position, as shown bythe full lines in Fig. 1. These jointed links and their connecting bars are preferably arranged at opposite ends of the ice bunker or in proximity to the side walls of the car, as will be readily understood from an inspection oil-Figs. 1 and 3, whereby obstruction in the ice space of the bunker is reduced to a minimum and the pars are less liable to be distorted by being struck by heavy blocks of ice.

blocks of ice and permit 0 a a free ventilation through the bottom of the bunker, bunker bottom bars ll are hinged at it to the end wall of the car and at their outer or free ends are adapted to rest upon and hook over brackets l1, secured to the inner face of the front wall B. The number of slats employed to form the bottom of the bunker should be suflicient to prevent the passage of ice through between the same and it will be understood that they may be connected to form floor grids, two or more being preferably employed each capable of being folded up flat against the end wall of the car or of'being turned down and support.- ed at the outer or free edge by brackets h on the inner face of the front wall of the bunker.

For locking the bunker in its extended p0- sition, shown in full lines in Fig. 1, the said front wall is preferably provided with locking bolts, indicated at I, adapted to be operated by a pinion i to the shaft 2" of which a suitable key or handle may be applied from the cargo spacd of the car.

The links to which the front wall of the bunker is jointed preferably have rule joints and will ordinaril be sufiieient to hold the wall in proper extended position without the use of the ocking bolts but it is desirable to always employ s01 e means for holding the wall positively in its folded position. For holding the bunker wall at the bottom, I employ a hook R on the frame at the end of the car and a staple or cross-bar r at the center of the bunker wall with which the hook automatically engages when the bunker wall is pushed in. At the top two catches are provided, one ateach corner. These catches lettered S are preferably pivoted at s to the side walls of the car, (see Fig. 4:) so as to be movable for the passage of the bunker wall to its closed position and re-,

quires to be moved by hand to release the said wall. If desired, they may be moved over, a projection s, so as to be held in either operative or inoperative position.

When in its extended position, the upper edge of the front wall of the bunker rests against or in proximity to the edge of the ceiling K of the cargo space of the car and betweenthe said ceiling K and roof A a ventilating space is formed which, preferably, gradually contacts in width away from the bunker end of the car. The end of the space remote from vthe bunker is left open at is and apertures 7c of smaller size than the opening 7c in the ceiling K, permit the entry of warm air which is conducted through said space toward the end of the car and into the ice bunker where, when ice is present, it is cooled and drops by gravity through thebottom of the bunkerand flows out beneath the front wall into the cargo through the bunker is cooled by the ice and air in the cargo space is raised to a higher ten'lperature either by products within the cargo space or by external atmospheric conditions.

For the purpose of permitting the charg: ing of the bunker with ice and also for ventilation purposes when the car is not traveling under ice,, a hatchway or opening L is formed in the roof of the car, preferably at one side of the center, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, which hatchway is adapted to be closed by a tight fitting plug or cover L but, inasmuchas this hatchway 1s liable to afford a means 0 access to the car both by unauthorized persons and by rain-water, a hood is provided which may be locked in position over and around the hatchway and its cover, or when the car is to be iced, the said hood may be moved out of the way, as indicated for instance in dotted lines, Fig. 1. In the preferred construction, the hood is made with solid top, rear and end walls M and its face toward the end of the car is formed. with two sets of slats m and m respee- 9o tively, the slats m which are on the inner side of the slats at, being inclined at a somewhat steeper angle so as to effectually exclude water which may be driven through between the slats m. The water is conducted downwardly into a drip trough N which discharges at'a suitable point on the roof of the car. In addition, the entrance opening to the hood is provided with a vfine mesh screen 0 which will serve as a filter for the entering air and will also catch and conduct down to the drip trough'any water or moisture which may drive through between the slats. For convenience, the rear wall M of the hood is inclined and when the car is proceeding under ventilation the plug or hatchway cover L is drawn up against the inclined wall M by a central chain Z where it may be held by a staple Z and suitable lock, if so desired. In this position it serves as a deflector for the air entering through the front end of the hood which air is thereby deflected down into the body of the car and by circulating through the same serves to preserve the cargo when the latter is of such character as to not require the employment of ice. The hood itself is adapted to be locl' cd"in position over and around the hatchway by a has-p and staple 11, through which a suitable pad-lock may be passed, and itis preferably mounted to slide rearwardly to uncover the hatchway in ways or tracks T, small rollers or wheels t being interposed, if desired, to facilitate the movement. .125

As an additional precaution against the entry of unauthorized persons to the cargo space of. the car when the ice bunker is collapsed,- the front wall of said bunker is pro vided witha horizontally extending screen I of large mesh which screen is adapted to be moved in across the hatchway opening with the front wall of the bunker when the latter is moved toward the end wall of the car, as will be readily understood from in- .spection of Fig.1.-

When the bunker is collapsed the outer v edge of the screen P is held by catches or space of the car for goods not requiring ice its plug or cover L an take main openin refrigeration the ice bunker is collapsed and,

if desired, the hatchway is 0 net for the, entrance of external am, as be ore described but, should ice bercquircd, the bunker is "extended to the position shown infull lines in Fig. 1 and for charging the bunker the hatchway hood is moved back to the position indicated in dotted lines. After the bunker is charged the hood is moved forwardl to the position shown in full lines and 100 red, after which the hatchwa may be closed b refri eration wi 1 place by the natural circulation of the air wlthin the cargo space and bunker, there being an effectual separation of the streams of air roceeding from and toward the bunker. y the provision of a plurality of se ries of apert res in the ceiling K, with the E at a point remote f om the bunker, 'short-circuiting of thb air currents is prevented and an efi'ecttial distribution of the cool air to all parts of the cargo. space is insured.

Having .thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:-

' 1. In a refrigerator car, the combination with the walls inclosing the cargo space, of a collapsible ice bunker in the end of said space embodying an upwardly folding bun ker bottom adapted in folded position to lie flat against the end wall of the car, a bunker front Wall movable bodily toward and from said end wall and independent sets of joint 1 ed links located and movable in vertical planes beyond the ends of the folding bottom and connecting said end and front walls,

whereby the front wall is held in parallelism with the end wall and an unobstructed ice space is left between the links and above the bottom when the parts an in extended position.

' 2. In a refrigerator car lthe combination with the walls inclosing "the cargo -s ace, of a collapsible ice bunker in the end 0 said space embodying an upwardly folding bunker bottom adapted in folded position to lie flat against the end wall of the car, a bunker front wall movable bodily toward and from said end wall and independent sets of jointed links located and movable in vertical planes beyond the ends of the folding bottont' and connectin said end and front walls, the links of eac i set being connected together at a point intermediate their ends to move in unison.

3. In a refrigerator car, the combination with-the"walls mclosing the cargo space, of a collapsible ice bunker in one end of said space embodying an imperforate movable front wall, and an air circulating flue in the top of the cargo space with the bottom of which the wall of the bunker engages when extended whereby the flue discharges into the bunker.

4. In a refrigerator car, the combination with the walls inclosing the cargo space and a ceiling for said s ace formin van air circulating flue, of a co lapsible ice unker having a front wall movable bodily toward and from the end wall of the car andhavin its top in position to form a continuation o the air circulating line when moved outwardly whereby said fine is caused to discharge into links, and means for supporting the bunker wall in its movements toward and from the end wall of the car.

ALFRED G. BROWN. lVitncsses l. N. I)EAN, l. C. lVAonNnn. 

